Exclusive: Ben Roberts-Smith flies to Australia after missing defamation case verdict
Ben Roberts-Smith has returned to Australia after he was spotted boarding a flight from New Zealand, 10 days after he lost his defamation case against The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times.
Australia's most decorated soldier was spotted checking into business class accompanied by his girlfriend in the holiday hotspot Queenstown.
It's believed he was returning to Brisbane.
Ben Roberts-Smith. A Current Affair
His return comes on the same day as reports that an Australian Federal Police investigation into his alleged war crimes had collapsed.
The decision by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions not to prosecute Roberts-Smith based on evidence colleted by the AFP probe has led to a new joint taskforce being set up to investigate alleged executions.
The taskforce comprises detectives from the specialist war crimes agency, the Office of the Special Investigator, and a new team of federal police investigators not connected to the abandoned AFP probe.
Ben Roberts-Smith loses defamation case. A Current Affair
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Roberts-Smith was noticeably absent from court on June 1, when the judgement in his defamation case was handed down.
He was seen soaking up the sun in Bali instead of being present to hear the judge's findings
To find out more, watch the video above.
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